Aston Villa are still looking for two high-profile loan signings to compliment their squad this month - but how many temporary deals are they allowed?

Boss Steve Bruce already has agreements in place to keep Sam Johnstone, Josh Onomah and Robert Snodgrass at the club until the end of the season.

And as reported in November, Bruce wants to bring in Leicester’s Leo Ulloa up front and is also believed to be keen on his Foxes team-mate Daniel Amartey, according to today's reports

If Villa get the two loan deals they’re after, it could mean that almost half of the starting XI is made up of loan players.

These are the current rules which Villa must adhere to:

How many loan players can a Championship side have?

Clubs are allowed to have eight players on loan, but can only field a maximum of five loan signings in any one game.

They can only sign a maximum of four players from a specific club, of which only two can be over the age of 23.

Here are the official EFL rules:

52.4.1 A maximum of 5 Players registered on a Temporary Loan Transfer can be named in the Players listed on a team sheet for any individual match played under the auspices of The League. This maximum shall reduce to 4 Players where a Club names a Player on the team sheet who is registered on an Emergency Goalkeeper Loan; and

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52.4.2 No Club may sign more than 4 Players on a Temporary Loan Transfer from another Club (or club) in any Season, of which no more than 2 Players may be over the age of 23. The deadline for determining a Player’s age in this respect shall be as at the 30th June prior to the Season in which the Temporary Loan Transfer is intended to take place. Any Temporary Loan Transfer which subsequently becomes a permanent transfer (which can occur any time during the period of the Temporary Loan Transfer) shall not count against a Club’s quota of such Temporary Loan Transfers for that Season.

When can loan signings be made?

The EFL scrapped the emergency loan system last season, meaning that loan deals can only be struck during the summer or January transfer window. This means moves will either be six-month or season-long deals.

Any recall clauses only apply to season-long loans, and can only be activated in the January window.

Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur can both recal Johnstone and Onomah, respectively, this month but are unlikely to do so.

West Ham do not have a recall option on Snodgrass.

What about international loan deals?

After Watford signed 10 players on loan from Udinese back in 2012 – and 14 loans in total – all EFL clubs agreed to change the regulations in international loans.

The limit on overseas temporary deals is now set at five (on any matchday).

And only four players can be signed from one specific club.

So are there any emergency loan deals?

Clubs can apply for an emergency loan signing for goalkeepers only, and there are strict regulations in place.

Any club wishing to sign a goalkeeper on loan outside the window must provide written evidence that all the existing keepers have been certified unfit to play, that they are suspended, or called up to play for their country.